02 April 2019: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

AUSINDEX Exercise

Context:

The third edition of bilateral maritime exercise between Royal Australian and Indian Navies AUSINDEX-19 is set to begin from 02 April 2019.

Details :

The third edition of AUSINDEX, an acronym for Australia India Exercise is scheduled to commence with the arrival of HMAS Canberra (L02), a Landing Helicopter Dock, HMAS New Castle (06) and HMAS Paramatta (154), both frigates; HMAS Collins, a conventional submarine and HMAS Success (OR 304), a Durance-class multi-product replenishment oiler at Visakhapatnam on 02 April 19.

A sign of the strengthening of bilateral and defense cooperation between the two countries as envisaged in the Framework for Security Cooperation (FSC) announced by the Australian and Indian Prime Ministers in 2014.

The maiden edition of the exercise was held in September 2015 at Visakhapatnam.

Australia hosted the second editionof the exercise off Freemantle in June 2017, wherein ships of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy (IN) exercised with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships and submarines.

The complexity of the biennial maritime exercise over the past four years has steadily increased.

The third edition would involve exercises in all three dimensions with a focus on ASW.

The aim of the exercise is, “To strengthen and enhance mutual cooperation and interoperability between the IN and RAN, providing opportunities for interaction and exchange of professional views between the personnel of the two navies”.

The number of units being fielded by both navies in the bilateral exercise is the highest till date.

The increased scale of participation signifies the importance attached to the exercise by both countries while the enhanced complexity is indicative of the interoperability between the two navies.

Overall, the exercise underscores India’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and shared objectives of the two countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain and solidarity with friendly and harmonious countries.